Trial set for 2 Long Beach men charged in Halloween hate crime beating

LONG BEACH - A trial date was set Wednesday for two Long Beach men charged with the alleged hate crime attack of two gay men last Halloween.

Defendants Marquise Anton Lucas, 19, and Sierus Lamar Dunbar, 27, are each charged in the attack, which took place at about 8:15 p.m. near Fourth Street and Cherry Avenue, just west of The Gay and Lesbian Center of Greater Long Beach.

Witnesses said the two victims, one of whom is 52 years old and the other who in his 60s, were assaulted after they left the center and after walking past Lucas and Dunbar, who yelled out a derogatory name for gays.

One of the victims took a cellphone picture of one of the defendants while the other victim tried to call police. Before they could summon help, one victim said, the suspects attacked.

One victim suffered a cut over his left eye, a bruised hip and blunt trauma to his left hand. The other survivor suffered injuries to his mouth, including smashed teeth.

Both suspects fled on foot, but were caught by Long Beach police officers near Third Street and Cherry Avenue, police said.

The attack occurred in front of several witnesses, who came to the victims' aid, police and prosecutors said.

Both men are charged with two counts of assault likely to produce great bodily injury, including an allegation that the assault was a hate crime, said Deputy District Attorney Robert Hight.

A third count of battery causing serious bodily injury was filed against both defendants for the attack on the second victim, Hight said.

Both Dunbar and Lucas have been held in custody at the Men's Central Jail since their Oct. 31 arrest. The pair were ordered Wednesday to return to the Long Beach Superior Court on April 4 for trial.